Man Utd vs West Ham: Preview

Manchester United open their Premier League season against West Ham on Sunday afternoon. The two sides have made some strong signings this summer and will be raring to go in the opening weekend’s final fixture.

Man Utd have spent big on bringing in Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic. Jose Mourinho knew he had to strengthen the squad after last year’s fifth-placed finish. The Red Devils did qualify for the Champions League as a result of their Europa League win.

But the aim will be the mount a serious title challenge this season. Mourinho has assembled a strong squad and knows his side need to get off to a winning start here.

United fell 2-1 to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday night. They put in a strong display, despite losing, and will be looking to hit the ground running against the Hammers on Sunday.

West Ham’s main summer signing will be a familiar face to the Old Trafford crowd. Former United striker Javier Hernandez has joined the Hammers for around £16m, in what is surely going to be one of the best deals of the window.

Slaven Bilic has also brought in Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Sead Haksabanovic. West Ham will surely improve on last season’s 11th-placed finish.

The Hammers couldn’t have been handed a much tougher opening game. West Ham will have to wait a month until their first home game of the campaign, with away trips to Southampton and Newcastle to come following Sunday’s game at Old Trafford. That’s due to the ongoing athletics World Championships currently taking place at the London Stadium.

These two sides met three times last season. The pair drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Old Trafford, before United won 4-1 in the League Cup three days later. The Red Devils then beat the Hammers 2-0 at London Stadium in January.

Man Utd vs West Ham: Team News

Manchester United have no new injury concerns heading into the new season. Jose Mourinho is expected to give debuts to Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku. Though Victor Lindelof might have to start on the bench, with Eric Bailly and Phil Jones available again after being suspended for Tuesday’s UEFA Super Cup game. Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young are injured.

West Ham could welcome back Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini after recent injuries. But Slaven Bilic will be without Sofiane Feghouli, Cheikhou Kouyate, Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio. Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez are expected to make their league debuts for the visitors.

Man Utd vs West Ham: Key Points

Man Utd’s preseason form: W/L/W/W/L

West Ham’s preseason form: W/L/D/D/L

Key Stat: Manchester United are unbeaten in their last nine home Premier League games against West Ham. Their last league defeat to the Hammers at Old Trafford came on the final day of the 2006/07 season.

Key Player: Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United’s big summer signing loves playing against West Ham. The powerful striker has scored in nine of his last ten games against the Hammers in all competitions.

Man Utd vs West Ham: Prediction

Manchester United 2-1 West Ham – United struggled for goals against teams like West Ham throughout last season. However, the signing of Lukaku is meant to fix those problems. Things are unlikely to be perfect for either side in the opener, but the hosts look primed to get off to a winning start. West Ham are a stronger side than they were last term. But the hosts have spent big. Expectations are high and they need to prove they can kick on, starting on Sunday.

Big-money signings Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof made their unofficial debuts for Man Utd at the weekend. Lukaku didn’t get on the scoresheet but the £75m signing will no doubt be planning to find the net against RSL.

Mourinho has said he will once again field two different sides in each half of Monday night’s game. United still have five games to play after their clash with RSL, including friendlies against Man City and Real Madrid before the end of the week.

Real Salt Lake have had a tough MLS campaign so far this season. They are currently at the halfway stage but their hopes of making the playoffs look slim.

But Monday’s friendly gives the team the chance to put aside their league form and enjoy playing against some of the world’s top players.

MLS veteran goalkeeper Nick Rimando can’t wait to be tested by the likes of Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.

“I think the city deserves a team like Manchester United come here. The fans deserve it,” he said.

“For me to be able to play against such great players is exciting for sure. They have huge players and to step onto the field with them is going to be great.”

Real Salt Lake vs Man Utd: RSL scout report

Real Salt Lake’s league form has been poor in 2017. They’ve taken 20 points from 20 games and sit ninth in the Western Conference. They are only two points off the bottom and four points adrift of the playoff places at the midway point.

They have the joint-worst goal difference in MLS this season and have lost as many home games as they have won this term. That will give Manchester United hope of bettering their result from the LA Galaxy game on Saturday.

Interestingly though, RSL did run out 6-2 winners at LA Galaxy in their latest outing before the MLS Gold Cup break set in two weeks ago. So they have proven they can be a really dangerous attacking outfit. The problem is they can’t seem to keep goals out.

Head coach Mike Petke will undoubtedly be looking ahead to Wednesday night’s MLS battle with the Portland Timbers. He will likely give plenty of fringe players a chance to impress against United on Monday night, and is unlikely to play anyone for more than 45 minutes.

Real Salt Lake vs Man Utd: Man Utd scout report

Manchester United got their US tour off to the perfect start with that 5-2 win at the Galaxy on Saturday. Mourinho rotated his squad and experimented with three at the back.

He has admitted the team will return to a tradition four-man defence at Rio Tinto Stadium, but 22 players are likely to feature as he continues to test things ahead of the 2017/18 Premier League season, which is now just 25 days away.

Lukaku will be looking to score his first United goal following his £75m move to the Red Devils last week. He could be handed a start here, and will look to do better than he did in LA on Saturday.

Man Utd are expected to cruise to victory, given the quality they have throughout the squad. But RSL will offer an attacking threat, which United will look to contain after conceding two late goals against the Galaxy.

Everton are looking across the pond to Major League Soccer as they line up a summer move for Orlando City striker Cyle Larin, who the Toffees see as an ideal replacement for the seemingly outgoing Romelu Lukaku, according to the Sun.

Everton scouts have been watching Larin take MLS by storm since joining the league with Orlando in 2015. He’s scored a total of 34 goals in 61 regular season games and has added three assists in that time.

At 21, Larin is clearly a player with a big future ahead of him. Orlando fans would love to think they could hold onto their prolific frontman for the foreseeable future but interest from a Premier League club like Everton will have to be taken seriously by both the player and the club itself.

Larin is expected to cost around £2 million if Everton firm up their interest in the coming months, but that would surely only happen if Lukaku does indeed depart at the end of the season.

The Belgian forward has refused to sign a new five-year deal as he wants to play in the Champions League for one of Europe’s elite clubs. He is currently the Premier League’s top goalscorer after netting 21 goals in 28 appearances so far this season – the best tally of his career.

A return to former club Chelsea is on the cards as it appears increasingly unlikely that the 23-year-old talisman will be plying his trade at Goodison Park next term.

The Toffees might well look to Larin if they lose Lukaku but they can expect competition, with European rivals Besiktas, Celtic and Benfica also reported to be circling around the Canada international.

Would Cyle Larin be a good signing for Everton if they lose Romelu Lukaku? Is he ready to leave MLS for the Premier League?

Everton fans are devastated at the news that Romelu Lukaku will not be signing a new contract with the club. The Belgian is looking to play at the highest level and is hungry for silverware. A return to Chelsea would provide Lukaku with what he is looking for in terms of elite football but it is only an option for him if Diego Costa departs the club in the summer transfer window. Lewis Addley explores the potential of a Chelsea return…

Lukaku was never given the chance to showcase his talent in his first spell at Chelsea but it is quite clear the goal-machine has exactly what it takes to thrive at the highest level. It would be a complete role reversal if Lukaku replaces Costa this summer, as his move to Everton in 2014 provided the funds and space for the Spaniard to make the move to West London.

Costa has netted 49 Premier League goals in 79 games for Chelsea, while Lukaku has scored 47 in 100 games across the same amount of seasons. It’s clear Lukaku has had better luck with injuries in that time and he could have potentially scored more if he had been receiving the same level of service as Costa from the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard.

There isn’t much doubt Lukaku would be a success at Chelsea, he has a similar powerful approach to Costa, arguably more pace that all-important eye for goal.

But a move back to SW6 only makes sense if Costa does actually leave the club. Chelsea are quite clearly opting for just one striker and you only have to look at how limited Michy Batshuayi’s playing time has been this season to know Antonio Conte likes to keep his side settled.

A whole host of clubs across Europe will be battling to sign the 23-year-old forward but a Premier League move would be favourable, his style of play suits the league and he’s proven he can cause any side trouble.

The Chinese Super League looks a likely destination for Costa if a new contract isn’t agreed with Chelsea but the trail has gone a little more quiet since the club were able to rebuff a world-record offer from Tianjin Quanjin in the winter window. Potential suitors will no doubt try to tempt Costa away from Chelsea in the summer, with his future far from certain at Stamford Bridge.

Would Lukaku move back to Chelsea? Should The Blues go in for him if Costa leaves this summer?

Match Preview

Everton play host to Manchester City on Sunday with The Toffees looking to extend their Premier League unbeaten run to four games.

This is going to be a test for Ronald Koeman’s men, they face a Manchester City side who will be desperate for a win, but they will know they have the ability to upset anyone at Goodison.

Everton are on a three-game unbeaten Premier League run. That recent run of form looks to have them back on track in the league after a difficult spell. They did however exit the FA Cup last weekend in a disappointing home loss, so a response is needed.

This is Everton’s second league home game in a row, they demolished Southampton 3-0 last time out and they have a great chance of a positive result if they put in an impressive display like that again.

Manchester City have won three of their last five away games. Their last league game was a 2-1 home win against Burnley, an unconvincing performance intensified the pressure on Pep Guardiola.

While Pep is not one to panic, he is in new territory in his managerial career and needs to find a way to silence his doubters. A win here at a ground renowned for being difficult for the top sides to take points from would be a step in the right direction.

City have won five of their last six games in all competitions, including progressing in the FA Cup with a ruthless 5-0 win away against West Ham. The squad should be fresh as their last game will have been nine days previous by kick off on Sunday.

Guardiola’s side have work to do to close the gap at the top of the league. A loss here could potentially see them drop out of the top four and then the alarm bells would certainly be ringing amongst the fans. They need a big performance.

Team News

Everton’s squad is littered with injuries, they could be without as many as eight players for this tie. Yannick Bolasie, Dominic Clavert-Lewin and Muhamed Besic are all out, while Maarten Stekelenburg, James McCarthy, Bryan Oviedo and Matthew Pennington are all doubts. Idrissa Gueye is on international duty at the African Cup of Nations.

Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan remain long-term absentees for Manchester City, while Leroy Sane is a doubt. Fernandinho is also unavailable for selection as he remains suspended.

Key Points

Everton’s last five: W/L/W/D/W

Manchester City’s last five: W/W//W/L/W

Key Stat: Everton are unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 Premier League games at Goodison Park.

Key Player: Sergio Aguero – The Argentine made the difference in City’s last Premier League game. A lot is going to be expected from him over the second half of the season given his side trail top spot by seven points. He can remind everyone that City are well in the title race by contributing to an impressive away victory here.

Score Prediction

Everton 2-2 Manchester City – An action packed draw. Everton have caused plenty of the big sides trouble at Goodison down the years and City could fall victim to that fate once again here. City’s defensive issues have been well documented, it would be a surprise if they keep a clean sheet this weekend, given Everton’s free-flowing attacking play.

Everton ended their four-game winless run with their 2-0 victory over West Ham last time out, but they know they have a tough game on their hands here.

Ronald Koeman’s side trail Chelsea by just four points heading into this one. They have had a strong opening ten games (W5-D3-L2) and look capable of pushing for the top six this season.

Everton have struggled for positive results at Stamford Bridge, they have failed to win away against Chelsea in their last 22 attempts. This would be an ideal time to put that unwanted run to an end.

The Toffees can take heart in the fact that they have scored at least twice in their last three matches against Chelsea. If they can breach the three-man backline they will be within a great chance of picking up a favourable result.

Key Points

Chelsea’s last five: L/W/W/W/W

Everton’s last five: L/D/D/L/W

Key Stat: Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 22 home games against Everton in all competitions.

Key Player: David Luiz – Much was made of Chelsea resigning Luiz. The Brazilian has played an integral role since Chelsea switched to 3-4-3 and looks a far more mature player since returning to the club. The fan-favourite is showing both leadership qualities and passion that Chelsea lacked last season.

Score Prediction

Chelsea 1-0 Everton – The Blues have been on an incredible run of form in the Premier League. They have looked far more resilient defensively and have the ability to make it five clean sheets in a row this weekend.

The 2016/17 Premier League season is less than a week away and a number of clubs will start the campaign with new managers. Fans will be expecting more from their team and here, ‘The Dugout‘ will explore if Ronald Koeman can take Everton to the next level…

Everton fans will be hoping the appointment of Ronald Koeman can signal the beginning of a new era for the club as their Premier League season begins at home against Tottenham this weekend. It has been a tough two years to take for the Toffees as they have finished 11th with 47 points in consecutive campaigns and have looked a shadow of the side that finished 5th just three years ago.

The time seemed right for Everton to part ways with Roberto Martinez and they have done very well to lure Ronald Koeman away from Southampton after a successful season. Koeman guided the Saints to a sixth-place finish and Everton fans will be hoping he can repeat that feat or even better it this season.

Koeman has a great platform to start with at Everton, with a squad who have been underachievers in the last two campaigns. It will be interesting to see how he can develop the players and push the side back up the table.

It is no surprise that a team performs much better when they are highly motivated and Koeman can do just that. The Everton players looked in disarray for large parts of last season despite some great results against the top clubs. Koeman has the experience of being part of a setup that thrives on motivation from both his playing and managerial days.

The Dutchman has been working on his squad in the summer transfer window, releasing a number of long-term servants to the club with the likes of Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar all departing. He is clearly looking to freshen things up and bring forward a less predictable Everton for the coming season.

With Koeman’s ability to motivate players, Everton fans will be hoping top players will become more consistent. Kevin Mirallas, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu are three players who came under some criticism last campaign for inconsistent performances. There is no doubt they are all capable of putting in world-class shifts and with Koeman directing the style of play, these three could massively benefit from his guidance.

While these three were in no way to blame for Everton’s below-par season last term, they are the types of players who are expected to provide. If Koeman can motivate the strong attacking trio to feed the striker – whoever that may be as uncertainty still looms over Romelu Lukaku’s future – the club should look more deadly in front of goal in the upcoming season.

Koeman has had a brilliant start to managerial life in the Premier League. He guided Southampton to a 7th place finish in his first season as manager and finished 6th in the last campaign, proof Koeman has the ability to improve a side in the world’s most competitive league.

Squad consistency:

Through their Premier League history, Everton have been a side who have boasted long-term squad players, something Koeman will relish the opportunity to work with. At Southampton Koeman perhaps didn’t – or wouldn’t – have had the opportunity to keep the same group of players for season upon season.

Koeman is already under pressure regarding the future of both John Stones and Romelu Lukaku. So far Everton have shown their resolve to keep their best players – a similar scenario to their continued rebuff of Chelsea’s efforts to tempt Stones away from the club this time last year.

With this in mind Koeman has a great platform to build a squad with a strong core knowing that the club will be backing his every decision regarding the future of his players.

Koeman has a lot of work to do to take Everton to the next level but in joining the club he has the chance to do so. The Toffees appear to have a policy of giving players and staff every opportunity to reach their highest potential before stepping in and taking any action and he will be hoping to hit the ground running against Tottenham on Saturday.

Is Koeman the right man to lead Everton forward? Can he take them to the next level?

Diego Costa’s Chelsea future continues to look uncertain with the Spaniard rumoured to be unsettled. Former Blue, Romelu Lukaku has been linked with a mega-money return to the club just two years on from his departure. Lewis Addley explores why resigning the Belgian would be a backward step for the club…

Antonio Conte has been steadily making his mark on Chelsea through their preseason tour but there has been one notable absentee in the form of Diego Costa. The Spaniard has struggled to take part in some of Conte’s sessions due to a persistent back problem and has barely racked up any minutes playing time.

According to The Metro, Ramos asked Costa ‘Why don’t you come back to Madrid?’ The Chelsea man’s response couldn’t be seen as he had his back to the camera, but Ramos’ follow up question appears to repeat Costa’s response: ‘They won’t let you?’

While this is only speculative on the basis of lipreading it has not painted the situation in any better light for Chelsea fans.

If Costa is to leave the club, Chelsea will need to find a replacement for their first-choice striker, and Lukaku is looking likely to push for an exit from Everton.

The odds have been slashed for a return to Chelsea for Lukaku so let’s have a look at why it would be a backward step for the club.

Costa vs Lukaku EPL stats since 14/15 provided by Squawka

As we can see, since the 2014/15 Premier League season, Costa has scored four more goals than the Belgian in 19 less games. While there is an argument for Lukaku being a more favourable choice due to being less injury prone, his minutes per goal output is nowhere near as impressive as Costa’s.

Lukaku has contributed more assists and does have a higher take on success percentage, but along with his goalscoring statistics Costa also boasts better shot accuracy and pass completion.

Costa averages a goal every 1.68 games, compared to Lukaku’s 2.6. Hypothetically speaking, if Costa had played the extra 19 games difference between the two with his goal per game average he could have potentially scored another 11 times.

One thing that does play into Lukaku’s favour is age, still only 23 he has a long career ahead of him and plenty of time to learn. Although Costa isn’t even at his peak, at 27, his playing days would arguably come to an end before Lukaku, providing both steer clear of major injuries.

Do you think signing Lukaku as Costa’s replacement would be a backward step? Will either of these players even move before the window closes?

Match Preview

Newcastle welcome Everton to St James’ Park on Boxing Day as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to four against an Everton side who haven’t won in four in the Premier League.

Having spent a lot of money in the summer on signings like Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle shouldn’t be fighting relegation. They currently lie just two points off the drop zone and despite an upturn in results over the past few weeks, more still needs to be done.

However, St James’ Park has always tended to be a tough place to visit and with three wins in their last six in the top flight, Newcastle have relieved some pressure.

They have stuttered of late but have the quality to challenge for Europe, as long as they can get key players back from injuries. But the same could be said for most top-half sides and Everton

The Toffees have won four of their last five meetings with Newcastle in the Premier League but did lose 3-2 in a thriller on December 28 last season.

Team News

Newcastle United will be without Papiss Cisse, Mike Williamson, Jamaal Lascelles, Massadio Haidara, Rolando Aarons, Tim Krul, Gabriel Obertan, Emmanuel Riviere and Steven Taylor who are all out through injury. Aleksander Mitrovic will spearhead the attack in the absence of Cisse.

Everton have Steven Naismith and James McCarthy as doubts, while Tyias Browning, Bryan Oviedo, Phil Jagielka, Tony Hibbert and Steven Pienaar are all out with injuries.

Key Points

Newcastle United’s last five: L/L/W/W/D

Everton’s last five: W/D/D/D/L

Key Stat: Everton have won more points away from home than Newcastle have at home this season.

Key Player: Romelu Lukaku – The powerful Belgian striker is starting to live up to the price tag for the Toffees and is becoming impossible to suppress. Expect him to cause Newcastle problems from the outset.

Score Prediction

Newcastle United 1-2 Everton – Tough one to call as Newcastle have improved recently, but shutting out Everton is not an easy task. The most likely scenario will see goals, and we’re expecting a few of those.

They managed to draw 1-1 with Arsenal in their last home game and will hope to pick up at least another point from this game. A win could see them move above Chelsea into 14th place.

But Everton will arrive at Carrow Road unbeaten in five and looking like a solid outfit. Roberto Martinez has done well to deal with consistent injury troubles and the Toffees look in a good position to push for a European place.

They do, however, need to start turning draws into wins after sharing points in seven of their 15 league games so far – the second highest amount behind Spurs (8).

A 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Monday will have left some fans disappointed but a win at Norwich could see them move as high as sixth for a few hours at least.

This will be the 15th Premier League clash between the two sides. Everton have only won four of the previous 14 fixtures, with the Canaries also sealing victories in four of those matches.

Team News

Norwich will be without Matt Jarvis as he is ruled out through injury, while Wes Hoolahan is a doubt as he is struggling with a knock. Alex Neil could name an unchanged side to the one that lost at Watford last weekend.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez could be without six first team players for the trip to Norwich. James McCarthy is a doubt, while Steven Pienaar, Phil Jagielka, Bryan Oviedo, Tony Hibbert and Tyias Browning all remain sidelined.

Key Points

Norwich’s last five in the Premier League: L/W/L/D/L

Everton’s last five in the Premier League: W/D/W/D/D

Key Stat: Everton have only won one of their seven Premier League games away at Norwich since 1992.

Key Player: Romelu Lukaku – Impossible to ignore the in-form Belgian striker as he continues to deliver for Everton. He now has seven in his last seven and looks unstoppable.

Score Prediction

Norwich 1-1 Everton – This is set to be a tight game between two sides desperate for wins as the busy Christmas period enters full swing. Norwich need to pick up points at home and will be looking for a similar performance to the one that saw them draw with Arsenal, while Everton have not won away in the league since September.